The bottom line is clear: Our vital interests in Afghanistan are limited and military victory is not the key to achieving them. On the contrary, waging a lengthy counterinsurgency war in Afghanistan may well do more to aid Taliban recruiting than to dismantle the group, help spread conflict further into Pakistan, unify radical groups that might otherwise be quarreling amongst themselves, threaten the long-term health of the U.S. economy, and prevent the U.S. government from turning its full attention to other pressing problems. -- Afghanistan Study Group

On
the outskirts of Falluja, tens of thousands of Iraqi soldiers, police
officers and Shiite militiamen backed by Iran are preparing for an
assault on the Sunni city, raising fears of a sectarian blood bath. Iran
has placed advisers, including its top spymaster, Qassim Suleimani, on
the ground to assist in the operation.

The
battle over Falluja has evolved into yet another example of how United
States and Iranian interests seemingly converge and clash at the same
time in Iraq. Both want to defeat the Islamic State, also known as ISIS
or ISIL. But the United States has long believed that Iran’s role,
which relies on militias accused of sectarian abuses, can make matters
worse by angering Sunnis and making them more sympathetic to the
militants.